Namibia's forests at risk

The unprecedented commercial razing of slow-growing hardwood trees for export to China has become a national crisis and is profiting Chinese nationals at the expense of Namibia's people, economy, environment and international standing, environmentalists say.

Moreover, Namibia's agriculture ministry, which is mandated to issue timber-harvesting permits, has been described as unwilling and unable to address the growing crisis.

In a scathing statement issued this week, the Namibia Chamber of Environment (NCE) warned that Namibians were sacrificing valuable woodland for the benefit of foreign nationals.

Moreover, because the industry is inherently unsustainable due to the slow growth of the hardwood forests, “this situation equates to us practically giving away precious timber in return for the long-term destruction of woodlands that provide important ecosystem and climate mitigation services”.

The statement comes amidst growing public calls for President Hage Geingob to intervene to stop Chinese companies from exporting Namibian timber.



Act now

“Despite claims by Minister Alpheus !Naruseb of agriculture, water and forestry that his ministry has been working quietly to address the problem, we see no evidence of this.

“Indeed, the opposite seems to apply – he and his ministry do not appear to have the will, commitment, ideas or capacity to close these loopholes and enforce relevant legislation to protect woodlands and hardwood trees in Namibia,” the NCE said this week.

Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta has also slammed the agriculture ministry for remaining mum on the issue and not stopping the commercial harvesting of timber.

The minister revealed that as many as 60 000 trees, all slow-growing hardwood species, were illegally harvested in the area south of Rundu and west of the Khaudum National Park.

In all of these cases, the agriculture ministry issued harvesting permits without the legally required environmental clearance certificates, which are issued by the environment ministry. The NCE noted that the directorate of forestry was “severely underfunded and poorly supported by the [agriculture] ministry. Harvest quotas have thus been granted without directorate field assessments.

“Transport and marketing permits for timber also seem to be routinely granted without any physical inspections due to a lack of staff and transport.”

The organisation praised Shifeta for his leadership on the issue and said it would help the agriculture ministry and other stakeholders to protect Namibia's woodland ecosystems.

“Namibia cannot afford to lose its valuable woodland habitat and should not allow foreign nationals to benefit disproportionally through the unsustainable use of its natural resources.”



Murky

The NCE said Chinese nationals bought raw timber at ridiculously low prices, only to make enormous profits after exporting it, as Namibians did not realise the true value of hardwood timber.

The NCE further warned that “much of the current timber exploitation is done under the guise of clearing land for agricultural purposes”.

The clearing of woodland for the Liselo Green Scheme created a cover for the contractor to harvest trees beyond the boundaries of this scheme, it pointed out.

Furthermore, the NCE claims that “forestry permits were used to launder other timber harvested from the state forest and from other areas.”

The NCE noted that in 2017, the World Economic Forum downgraded Namibia in its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report as a result of the ongoing deforestation in the country.

Tourism is the second most important contributor to the country's economy and currently the only growing sector and an important job creator, the NCE noted.

“The destruction of our remaining woodlands is therefore of national concern on many fronts.”

The NCE further explained that woodlands were crucial mitigators of climate change, and the stripping of hardwood and other trees at the current unsustainable rates did not align with the country's stated aims to tackle the phenomenon.

The NCE pointed out that Namibia was seeking funds from the Green Climate Fund for climate adaptation and mitigation, but the destruction of its woodlands could send the wrong signals.



Stop harvesting, exports

The organisation has called on the government to stop all commercial logging and exports of raw Namibian timber.

Moreover, land allocated for farming in woodland ecosystems should be restricted to five-hectare plots for specific agricultural projects.

JANA-MARI SMITH